PLEEBO, Sept. 25 (LINA) – Rural Women in Maryland County, Southeastern Liberia, are calling on their leaders, mainly the County’s Legislative Caucus, to merge with local authorities and citizens to fight ‘ritualistic killings.”
The act of ritualistic killing is an age-old practice which has characterized the county.
Christina Walker, President of Pleebo District Rural Women, said in an interview that due to the age-old problem which, she said, has placed “a dark image” over the county, all suspicious deaths in Maryland County are being attributed to ritualism.
« Even if someone dies of natural causes, fingers are pointed at the wrong people, » said Madam Walker, a situation she believes has the propensity to deny the county of major investment opportunities.
She said until thorough investigation of the root cause of the matter, pointing to the historicity of the situation, is conducted, the evil act will continue to tint the image of Maryland County.
The call from the women’s leader, followed a day after the burial of two students whose deaths raised eyebrows among citizens in the county recently.
It can be recalled that the lifeless body of a Tubman University senior student, Anthony Tiaka, was found on July 3, 2022 in his room in Pleebo.
Also, on July 18 this year, the remains of eight-year-old Levi Koffa, a kindergarten student, was found in Lake Shepherd in Harper after going missing for two days.
This prompted the government to dispatch a team of pathologists to the county to conduct postmortem exams on the corpses of both students.
The autopsy reports indicated that Anthony Tiaka died of natural causes and little Levi Koffa died of « unnatural accidental » cause, relating to severe drowning.
« We need to dig out how we arrived at this tradition of ritual performance, » the Pleebo District Rural Women President emphasized.
Maryland County has a longstanding history of ritualistic killing.
Record shows that between 1965 and 1977, over 100 murders occurred in Maryland County, many of which were considered ritualistic due to the mutilation and extraction of body parts from most of the corpses examined.
During the 1970s, Liberians in Maryland County were constantly under threat posed by ritual killings.
Between November 1976 and July 1977, 14 people had disappeared in the county prompting the then Liberian President William Tolbert to fire the Superintendent of the County, James Daniel Anderson, who failed to report the missing people.
Tolbert publicly declared: « Anyone who kills deliberately, the law will kill that person. »
These murders went unreported and uninvestigated until the murder of a local fisherman and popular singer, Moses Tweh.
Tweh was abducted on June 26, 1977. His body was discovered on July 4, 1977, heavily mutilated with his eyes, ears, nose, tongue and penis removed.
Prior to the discovery of Tweh’s body, Wreh Taryonnoh, the girlfriend of the deceased and the Assistant Supervisor of Schools, Francis Nyepan, were allegedly heard by a group searching for Tweh saying: « If they would be so lucky to find him, only his bones they might see. »
This sparked the arrest of 12 people, a majority of whom were government officials.
In July and early August 1977, 12 people were arrested and subsequently executed, including James Daniel Anderson, Superintendent of Maryland County; Allen Nathaniel Yancy, Representative for Maryland County; Francis Wlateh Nyepan, Assistant Supervisor of Schools; Philip B. Seaton, Senior Inspector of the Ministry of Commerce, Maryland County; Thomas Barclay, cook of Allen Yancy, Wreh Taryonnoh, girlfriend of Francis Nyepan; and Putu Dueh.
Wonplu Boye, domestic servant for Francis Nyapan died before the execution.
The accused were forced to walk through the streets of Harper naked « carrying two buckets loaded with sand. »
During the first Harper trial, Joshua Brown and Teah Toby, were released and later became state witnesses.
The other ten defendants were found guilty and sentenced to public execution by hanging.
Tagbedi Wisseh appealed his conviction and was pardoned by Tolbert before the execution.
Wonplu Boye and Koti Weah both died before execution, and it was rumored their own family members poisoned them to avoid shame.
On 16 February 1979, the seven remaining people convicted of Moses Tweh’s murder were publicly hanged at dawn in Harper.
Langston Wilson, Maryland County Correspondent
